Tom is a member and former Chair of Stevens & Lee’s Estates and Trusts Practice Group. He concentrates his practice in estate and tax planning, fiduciary administration and the litigation and settlement of fiduciary matters. He serves as a mediator of disputes arising from the administration of trusts and estates and as an expert witness on fiduciary matters in Pennsylvania.

Tom was among the youngest lawyers ever admitted to membership in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, then the American College of Probate Counsel.

Tom chairs the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission’s Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estates Laws. He was instrumental in the drafting of Pennsylvania’s Uniform Trust Act (2006), Directed Trust Act (2024), and incorporation of the federal grantor trust rules into the taxation of settlors and beneficiaries of Pennsylvania trusts. 

Tom is a frequent speaker for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and other organizations and served on the planning committee for the Annual Estate Law Institute for several years.

  • Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estates Laws, former Vice Chair; former Chair, Pennsylvania Uniform Trust Act Subcommittee
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
  • Tower Health System, past Board Chair
  • Reading Musical Foundation, past Board Chair
  • Berks County Estate Planning Council, former President
  • The Reading Public Museum Endowment Committee, Former Chair
  • Berks County Bar Association
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Reading, PA, Litigation – Trusts and Estate, Trusts and Estates Law, 1997-Present
  • Named a “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America, Harrisburg, PA, Litigation – Trusts and Estate, Trusts and Estates Law, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2024
  • Listed as a Super Lawyer, Reading, PA, Estate Planning & Probate, 2004-2021

Education

  • Duke Law School, J.D., with distinction
  • Dickinson College, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Powerful partnerships. Standout solutions.

headshot of Tom Work
C. Thomas Work
Partner
c.thomas.work@stevenslee.com
  • Reading
  • Phone: 610.478.2084
  • Fax: 610.988.0844
Areas of Focus
Practice
  • Wealth Planning, Trusts and Estates

Tom is a member and former Chair of Stevens & Lee’s Estates and Trusts Practice Group. He concentrates his practice in estate and tax planning, fiduciary administration and the litigation and settlement of fiduciary matters. He serves as a mediator of disputes arising from the administration of trusts and estates and as an expert witness on fiduciary matters in Pennsylvania.

Tom was among the youngest lawyers ever admitted to membership in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, then the American College of Probate Counsel.

Tom chairs the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission’s Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estates Laws. He was instrumental in the drafting of Pennsylvania’s Uniform Trust Act (2006), Directed Trust Act (2024), and incorporation of the federal grantor trust rules into the taxation of settlors and beneficiaries of Pennsylvania trusts. 

Tom is a frequent speaker for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and other organizations and served on the planning committee for the Annual Estate Law Institute for several years.

Affiliations

  • Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission Advisory Committee on Decedents’ Estates Laws, former Vice Chair; former Chair, Pennsylvania Uniform Trust Act Subcommittee
  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
  • Tower Health System, past Board Chair
  • Reading Musical Foundation, past Board Chair
  • Berks County Estate Planning Council, former President
  • The Reading Public Museum Endowment Committee, Former Chair
  • Berks County Bar Association
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Recognition

  • American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Fellow
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, Reading, PA, Litigation – Trusts and Estate, Trusts and Estates Law, 1997-Present
  • Named a “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America, Harrisburg, PA, Litigation – Trusts and Estate, Trusts and Estates Law, 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2024
  • Listed as a Super Lawyer, Reading, PA, Estate Planning & Probate, 2004-2021

Education

  • Duke Law School, J.D., with distinction
  • Dickinson College, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Tax Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
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